Protective headwear such as, for example, welding helmets may be used in environments requiring respirators or other manners of introducing air into an interior of the protective headwear such as, for example, a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) or a supplied air respirator (SAR). Some of these conventional welding helmets include a blower unit that delivers air to a manifold, which distributes air to an interior space of the welding helmet. Such conventional welding helmets lack comfort because they are heavy and distribute air to undesirable locations within the welding helmet. Some conventional welding helmets include a manifold or hose that extends over a wearer's head and distributes the air downward over a front of the wearer's face and into the wearer's eyes. Such a manifold or hose is heavy in construction and positions a lot of weight above and in front of a wearer's head and face to provide a center of gravity above and in front of a wearer's head and face. A center of gravity in this position applies significant torque and stress on a wearer's head, neck and body.
While the primary purpose of protective headwear with airflow is to provide respiratory protection, it also serves to protect users from heat stress. The poor design of the airflow delivery system does not maximize its potential for assisting in the body's thermoregulation to minimize heat stress. Additionally the poor design of protective headwear with airflow leads to inefficient use of the airflow to maximize the user's thermal comfort and perception of air circulation which play a key role in defining user comfort. The comfort of protective headwear with airflow may have an impact on productivity and quality of the welder. Additionally, the air of conventional protective headwear is blown directly over and/or into the wearer's eyes, thereby drying the wearer's eyes or otherwise making the wearer uncomfortable.